by Leanne Thompson on June 26, 2009

This week it is National Poop Scoop and all over the UK, local authorities are taking full advantage to encourage dog owners to clean up after their dogs and make sure we have a clean summer.

There are more than 7 million dogs nationwide and yet it really is just a minority of irresponsible down owners who let the reputation of dogs down. Is it any wonder that dogs are banned from so many places?

Irresponsible dog owners don’t just leave their dog’s poop to foul our streets and fields but some let their dogs roam wild to foul anywhere.

The cost of dog poop is higher than we think; it isn’t just the monetary value or the £22 million that councils spend on cleaning up dog poop each year. According to statistics from Keep Britain Tidy, dog fouling remains the issue with the highest number of complaints to local authorities.

National Poop Scoop Week is in its tenth year now and highlighted the Grab It, Bag It and Bin It campaign. Every dog owner has a responsibility to their dog to train them, care for them and clean up after them, so here are a few tips to help dog owners remember:

• Grab It – keep plastic doggie bags close to the door or near the lead. One handy tip is to tie a plastic bag round the handle of the dog’s lead so you cannot help but keep one with you. Insert your hand in the bag and pick up the dog’s poop. It isn’t as bad as you might think
• Bag It – turn the bag inside out to bag the dog’s mess
• Bin It – dispose in a ‘poop’ bin or even a public bin if a dog waste bin is not around. Mistakenly, some dog owners believe this isn’t allowed, but it is.